SKorea to withdraw its last remaining nationals from shuttered joint factory park in NKorea

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea is preparing to pull out its last remaining nationals from a shuttered factory park in North Korea and empty out the complex for the first time since its 2004 opening.

The withdrawal of the 50 South Koreans would also raise a serious question about the future of the Kaesong complex, the last symbol of inter-Korean rapprochement.

Operation at Kaesong have been suspended since early April when North Korea barred South Korean factory managers and supply trucks from entering the park and withdrew all its 53,000 workers amid tension with Seoul and Washington.

Seoul on Saturday began pulling out its nationals from Kaesong after Pyongyang rejected its dialogue offer.

Seoul's Unification Ministry says it's waiting for North Korea's approval for the remaining South Koreans to leave Kaesong on Monday.